Goal reviews the biggest African transfer flops in the history of the game
Tottenham Hotspur are understood to be considering a move for Kondogbia, with Jose Mourinho clearly believing that the Central African Republic international has learned from his failed move to the San Siro.
Must was expected when he arrived from Monaco, but he didn’t appear to click with Frank de Boer in Lombardy, and his attitude prevented him from making the most of his opportunity.
This career misstep probably cost Kondogbia an international future with France, but he’s rebuilding his reputation effectively at Valencia
One of several Sir Alex Ferguson signings on this list, United parted with a reported £7.4 million to sign unknown Bebe from Vitoria Guimaraes, with the legendary manager later confessing that he’d never seen the wideman play.
United fans saw little more of him; as Bebe, who had bounced back from homelessness to forge a professional career, managed only two league appearances at Old Trafford before returning back to Portugal.
Recruited by Queens Park Rangers for a whopping £12.5 million in a late bid to stave off relegation—and on a reported £100,000 weekly salary—Samba returned to England after a brief spell in Russia, having previously been a hit with Blackburn Rovers.
QPR fans were not left with fond memories, and the Congolese centre-back fell out with the club’s fanbase while contributing a series of underwhelming showings as they dropped into the second tier.
One of the most baffling stories in the history of the sport, then-Southampton boss Graeme Souness thought he’d struck gold in 1996 when he received what he thought was a phone call from reigning Ballon d’Or winner George Weah recommending his ‘cousin’, who counted Paris Saint-Germain among his previous employers.
Souness believed the call—which turned out to be from a friend of Dia’s, rather than the current Liberia president—and handed Dia a one-month contract.
He was introduced as a substitute for injured club legend Matt Le Tissier against Leeds United, but was withdrawn 50 minutes later as it became palpably clear that he was not a player of such pedigree.
Dia was released shortly afterwards.
£9 million was a hefty fee from a Ugandan teenager who had potential, but had demonstrated precious little at Brescia to suggest that he was worth the.
Savio started just one match, failed to score, and was soon shipped back off to Italy and Fiorentina.
He’s currently playing in the German lower leagues, and is yet to be capped by either Germany or Uganda.
One can forgive Song for opting for Barca when the Catalan giants came calling in 2012, even if supporters of his new club were perplexed that they were parting with €19 million for a player who had taken his time carving out a niche for himself at Arsenal.
Despite having made major leaps with the Gunners, Song proved to be an ill-fitting addition to Barca, struggling to adapt to the club’s style or technical demands.
The Cameroon international returned to the Premier League with West Ham, and is currently a free agent after being sacked by Sion.
Eric Djemba-Djemba, so bad they named him twice, they used to joke…although United fans weren’t laughing.
The Cameroon midfielder wasn’t a hopeless player—he’d impressed in France with Nantes—but the new Roy Keane, he was not.
Bony became Africa’s most expensive player when he signed for City for £28 million
in early 2017, having translated his Eredivisie goalscoring form to the Premier League.
However, while the Ivorian forward tore up top-flight defences with the Swans, he struggled to come close to replicating this form at the Etihad Stadium.
His arrival at Eastlands was delayed due to the 2017 Nations Cup, while injuries and an inability to dislodge Sergio Aguero also affected his ability to gain a measure of momentum at the club.
By the time he moved on loan to Stoke City in 2016, he had fallen behind rookie Kelechi Iheanacho in the pecking order, and despite being only 31, is currently playing with Al-Ittihad in the Saudi top flight.
While midfielders such as Michael Essien and Mahamadou Diarra translated successful spells at Lyon with memorable stints at European giants, Makoun wasn’t so fortunate after moving to Villa for £6.2 million.
He struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League, and departed after nine league games, costing Villa just under £700,000 per appearance, not including wages…!
The Hammers have had their fair share of transfer duds over the years, and both Rigobert Song and Tita Camara could have made this list.
Instead, we’ve opted for McCarthy, who had impressed at Blackburn Rovers—alongside the aforementioned Samba—but was firmly past his best when he arrived in East London for £2.25 million.
He struggled with injury and fitness problems, was sidelined for six weeks on his debut, and was also criticised by the club’s hierarchy…a sorry way for the striker’s fine career in Europe to come to an end.
Source: goal.com